National Parks: Preserving Endangered Parks

While it’s wonderful so many people visit and enjoy our national parks on an annual basis, tourism places a lot of stress on the natural environment. In some cases, the strain has almost been too much. Here are the top 10 endangered parks in America:

1. Alaska’s National Parks – Private interest groups are currently looking to open the parks to commercial development and recreational snow-mobiling, both of which will destroy the park’s fragile ecosystem.

2. Big Bend National Park – The oldest and largest national park in Texas, its lack of water and fresh air is endangering the park’s resources.

3. Fire Island National Seashore – A beach “re-sanding” project threatens the wildlife and integrity of the national seashore.

4. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site – Dry rot, mold and water damage threaten the integrity of this historic site.

5. Glacier National Park – The hotels of this park, located in Montana, have begun to deteriorate. Plus, the commercial development and the coalmines threaten its international borders.

6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Air pollution envelops the park, limiting its views while at the same time harming wildlife and plant life.

7. Petrified Forest National Park – A park dedicated to preserving fossils and Indian ruins, its archeological sites located just outside the boundary of the park cannot be protected. As a result, new developments in the area threaten to destroy the sites.

8. Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve – All three protect the South Florida Everglades and are threatened by lower water levels and pollution.

9. Stones River National Battlefield – This historic Civil War battlefield and cemetery in Tennessee faces destruction with a planned interstate highway interchange and commercial development.

10. Yellowstone National Park – Believe it or not, the Montana government threatens the wildlife inhabiting the park.